2024 marks the last year students will be required to craft a traditional UCAS Personal Statement before the format changes in 2025. Instead, applicants are asked to approach a new structure of talking about their academics and experiences, by answering three key questions. 

This shift, a significant departure from the nature of the Personal Statement, makes it more crucial than ever to ensure your statement is impactful. 

Keep reading to see how you can make the most of the Personal Statement, and how the services at GettingIn can ensure your successful UCAS application!

Why UCAS is Changing the Personal Statement

The UCAS Personal Statement has been an integral part of the university application process in the UK since 1993, but change is afoot. 

UCAS’ decision is inspired by the feedback received from students and university officials. This response highlighted the challenges involved in writing according to the current format, with 83% of students deeming the process as stressful, saying that it is only with external help that they gained confidence in the structure of their Statement. 

The change in format is ultimately in line with UCAS’ desire to modernise the application process, and widen access and participation from students from all walks of life, by providing more guiding questions which break down applicants’ answers into manageable chunks. 

Though these changes towards a more structured approach will make for a different UCAS process, this doesn’t mean that applicants won’t have chances to stand out: your passion and intelligence will speak for themselves, and your writing should reflect that regardless of format!

It is nevertheless crucial that applicants in 2024 take advantage of the current format and take this final year in their stride. 

Though less guided in structure, the nature of the Personal Statement is inherently more creative, and allows for uniqueness in writing style, and composition. Learning how to sign-post effectively, and letting your academic and extra-curricular records demonstrate your suitability, are necessary cornerstones in creating a distinctive Statement that speaks to your interests and impresses universities.

Read the latest blog posts:

• How to Craft a Standout UCAS Personal Statement for UK Universities in 2024-2025

• Writing a Winning Personal Statement for London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Crafting a Standout UCAS Personal Statement in 2024

Any good Personal Statement starts with effectively planning your structure, drafted with character limit in mind. Your Statement needs to have a distinct introduction, body, and conclusion. 

There is no point in having an essay brimming with impressive achievements and accolades, only to have those lost in a block of text.

Use clear signposting, guiding your reader through your reasons for applying for your chosen course, your relevant experience and interests, and what makes you an impressive candidate overall.

Universities want to see that you have not plucked your degree choice out of thin air, and this is evidenced by how you have engaged precisely with your personal experiences. 

The Statement is designed for you to be able to give a unique picture of your suitability for the course. There is no way for admissions officers to tell if you’re a right fit if you do not draw on your personal experiences and achievements. 

These can range from events and open days you’ve attended, and work experience you’ve had (especially useful for vocational courses), to any extra reading you’ve done around the subject, or courses you’ve completed. 

It is important to go a step further than viewing your Personal Statement as an educational transcript, which is already separately uploaded to UCAS’ portal, and to link academic and extracurricular achievements together well to offer balance and variety.

Demonstrable passion and genuine interest are the key components of the UCAS process. If this is a subject you already do at school, what have you read and participated in that shows your enjoyment of it outside of the curriculum? 

If it’s a new subject, what evidence and experience do you have for pursuing a fresh academic path? Practise delivering your Statement and talking about your subject to friends and family, telling them why it’s the right course for you. 

Your enthusiasm should naturally come through in what you say, and how your words are reflected in the Personal Statement.

Reading aloud also helps keep things concise, though ambitious, and relevant, without falling deep into clichés.

Read more: UCAS Application Deadline For The 2024 Entry

What to Expect in 2025: A Preview of the New Format

Let’s consider the new UCAS application format, starting in 2025. The new process aims to streamline the application by replacing the single essay, the Personal Statement. 

Candidates will be instead asked to answer a questionnaire consisting of three questions, about their motivations for their chosen course, what qualifications they have for this further study, and any extracurricular activities that contribute to their application. In three key words, these questions boil down to: Motivation, Academics, Experiences.

These questions are intended to have a more obvious step-by-step structure than the Personal Statement, asking student explicitly to elaborate on these three aspects of their suitability for the course. 

Compared to the combination of content and writing style in the Statement, which gave students more freedom and creativity in their writing, answering the questionnaire will require more immediately precise replies to the specific question asked.

Why 2024 Applicants Need to Act Now

Applicants in 2024 are uniquely positioned, as part of the final year where the Personal Statement is an essential component in the UCAS application. This makes this application cycle the last time students will have the flexibility to express themselves beyond structured questions, and it is vital to make the most of this situation. 

The services GettingIn provides are an excellent way to create the stand-out Personal Statement which will ensure your success in your UCAS application, combining professional guidance with thorough knowledge of the process. 

GettingIn is committed to working keenly with applicants in the 2024 cycle on their Personal Statements, and other parts of the UCAS application, but is equally invested in helping students through the new format which will be implemented from 2025 onwards, continually upgrading and updating its practices. 

With comprehensive support, detailed preparation, and our expert services, students can approach both the traditional UCAS process, and these new changes, with coherence, motivation, and confidence in their future academic success.